Dental bridge



1.. B. FOSTER.

DENTAL BRIDGE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 6, 1920.

1,392,824. Patented 001;. 4, 1921;

P AT

JOSEPH B. FOSTER, OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA.

DENTAL BRIDGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

Application filed. November 6, 1920. Serial No. 422,286.

T all to 710m it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr B. Fos'rnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dental Bridges, of

which the following is a Specification.

This invention relates to improvements in dental bridges, and the principal object is to provide improved and simplified means for inserting false teeth.

Another object is to provide improved means for securing a porcelain or other false tooth to a metal backing and for securing the backing in place against the adjacent natural teeth' Another object is to provide simplified means for supporting a false tooth having a broad cutting edge and a narrow or constructed neck.

WVith these and incidental objects in View, the invention resides in certain novel construction, the essential features of which are hereinafter described and claimed, and are fully illustrated in the accompanying drawing comprising one sheet, in which Figure l, is a view of my improved dental bridge per se.

Fig. 2 is a view showing the manner of connecting a plurality of backings and teeth in cases where the bridge is to be provided with a plurality of artificial teeth.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts in both views.

. The invention contemplates the providing of a backing to which artificial teeth may be secured, said backing having side flanges and a bottom flangeto support and hold the tooth, and being held by dowel pins which extend through apertures in the flanges into the artificial tooth at one end to anchor it to the backing and into the adjacent natural teeth to anchor the entire bridge in place.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 10 represents a backing for a false tooth which backing is provided with side flanges Hand 12 and with an end flange 13. An artificial tooth 14 is seated between these flanges and is secured to the backing by cement and by upper and lower dowel pins 15 and 16 which extend through apertures in the flanges 11 and 12 and into the artificial tooth or in rear of it so as to be secured to itby the cement. The projecting ends of dowels 15 and 16 are inserted in apertures drilled in the adjacent natural teeth, or the artificial tooth may be made of porcelain cement or other synthetic cement by using the celluloid forms now made and the tooth in this case would be molded into the backing and into engagement with the dowels. Nearly any porcelain tooth could be used by grinding it thin, and the diatoric tooth shown in my pending application Serial No. 403,463, if made somewhat thinner could be used to advantage.

In cases where the bridge is to comprise a plurality of teeth, the several backings are soldered together at their edges and only the outside flanges of the set are provided with dowels which will be secured in the artificial teeth as in the above instance. This form is clearly shown in Fig. 2.

l Vhile l have described what I deem to be the most desirable forms of my invention, it is obvious that many of the details may be varied without in any way depart ing from the spirit of my invention; and I do not limit myself to the exact details herein shown, nor to anything less than the whole of my invention limited only by the appended claims.

lVhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A dental bridge comprising a flanged backing for an artificial tooth, and dowel pins secured to the flanges thereof and adapted to be anchored in adjacent natural teet 2. A dental bridge comprising a backing for an artificial tooth including flanges, and a plurality of pins extending through said flanges and anchored at opposite ends to an artificial tooth and to the adjacent natural teeth.

3. A dental bridge comprising a backing for an artificial tooth and provided with side flanges and with a flange at the cutting edge of the tooth, and horizontally disposed pins combined with said side flanges for anchoring said backing in place.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

JOSEPH B. FOSTER. 

